Saturday, October 22, 2011

Cynics quick to dismiss Sepp Blatter's initiation of four task forces aimed at bringing integrity and transparency to governance of the global game have history on their side. But there's reason for optimism that positive change is indeed on its way.

Writers like Andrew Jennings and Bill Archer have been relentless of late, signs of a paradigm shift in sport coverage. The major media are all too often complicit with corruption, or too scared to shed light lest access be denied. But alternative media has allowed space for the kind of critical examination of sport governance that’s made so many of us aware of what’s happening.

It’s not like things are more crooked than ever. Far from. It’s that the crooks are getting old and the young may not have the same “opportunities” given ethical scrutiny.

The Beautiful Game is enjoying an Arab Spring of its own. You won’t find Blatter or Warner hiding in a hole. They’ll just resign and fade away.

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Back from Köln and the beautiful campus of the German Sport University (Deutsche Sporthochschule) where the Play the Game 2011 conference was a source of inspiration and optimism that positive change is coming to the world of sport. A mix of academics, journalists, athletes and sports administrators, came together from around the world to discuss issues of governance, transparency and sport as a source of social change.

My paper, "Growing the Global Game at the Grassroots: Youth and Pro Soccer Partnerships in New York," offered a historical perspective on the tensions between lovers of the Beautiful Game and proponents of American exceptionalism by looking at efforts by the Cosmos to (re-)establish the game in NY and the US, the subsequent explosion of interest and participation in youth soccer programs, and efforts by the Red Bulls to cultivate talent and a fanbase in the Big Apple. The unique aesthetic, ethical and ontological aspects of soccer bring cultural change as the global game becomes more and more local.

Much of the conference was concerned with corruption in sport, calling for transparency in sporting governance, and the composition of "The Cologne Consensus" brought the conference to a close with its call to the world's sport leaders, especially the International Olympic Committee, to establish guidelines to ensure the sport movement proceeds with integrity and a sense of fair play informs the action on and off the field.

Investigative journalists Jens Weinreich and Andrew Jennings shared the prestigious Play the Game Award for their efforts to uncover corruption and shed light on problems in the world of sport.

Before the farewell gala, I had the good fortune to join in some 5v5
fußball on one of the countless pitches in the shadow of Rhein Energie Stadion. A goal and two assists seemed a good night's work playing with and against a fine group of talented members of FC's Südtribüne.

The party featured flowing Gaffel Kölsch, friendships formed and networks forged. Having just seen a tweet from Grant Wohl, I had the honor of telling Andrew Jennings that Chuck Blazer resigned his CONCACAF position. The controversial journalist's smile betrayed a sense of vindication, that perhaps all that hard work pays off with positive change after all.

Now back in New York, I know the Play the Game experience will inspire my efforts and inform my perspective as I continue to play and promote the Beautiful Game.